


Even The Mighty Fall

by Park_Chanyeols_left_ear_lobe



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Bottom Byun Baekhyun, Fluff, Light Action, Light Angst, Light Bondage, M/M, Mafia AU, Top Park Chanyeol
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-12
Updated: 2018-07-16
Packaged: 2019-06-09 08:32:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15263520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Park_Chanyeols_left_ear_lobe/pseuds/Park_Chanyeols_left_ear_lobe
Summary: Park Chanyeol gets more than he bargained for with his newest transaction.Follows the story of how Byun Baekhyun, unknowingly, makes himself at home among cold hearted killers who learn to find the human within them, well... almost all of them.





	1. "I'm not a brat!"

Chapter: I

 

Even before he opened his eyes, Chanyeol could tell; the light in the room had been turned on. It agitated him that someone had entered his room without permission but when Sehun’s voice broke through his train of thought, the young leader knew, the boy would never risk his life if it hadn’t been urgent.

“He’s here? At this hour?” Chanyeol asked, shrugging the coat on, pulling out the sleeves of his shirt.

“It seems that the matter is urgent.” Sehun said, his lips thinned into a straight line.

“It’s 3 in the morning, Sehun.” Chanyeol’s agitation was growing.

“As I said… It seems it cannot wait.” Sehun ran a hand through his tousled hair and Chanyeol, for once, noticed how young the boy actually was.

He walked down the hall, hands at his side, mouth turned down in an annoyed scowl, Sehun followed behind, head hung low, holding back an upcoming yawn.

“I hope whatever it is, it’s worth waking me up. I would hate to get blood on my hand this early in the morning.” Chanyeol announced his presence as soon as he entered the grand drawing room. The man that had been waiting stood from his seat, wrinkles of age lining his face. Chanyeol gave the old man a once over, burdens having weighed his shoulders down.

“I need your help.” The old man stated, eyes glassed over, pleading that the younger boy would hear him out.

 

“Wrong!” A shrill voice sounded followed by the smack of a baton on the lid of the piano. “Again, from the top.” The lady commanded and delicate fingers began to glide over the keys once again.

Baekhyun sighed as he played the melody over and over again only to dissatisfy his teacher with each do over. The hunched lady sighed, taking a seat beside him on the bench.

“You’re not focusing, master Byun.” She turned her scrutinizing gaze towards him.

“I’m sorry, Miss Woo. I just,” Baekhyun inhaled before continuing, “I’m so tired. We’ve been practicing for hours.”

Miss Woo, however, was in no mood to hear excuses, smoothing the creases on her pencil skirt, she rose from her seat, flogging the baton thrice. Baekhyun’s head dropped as he once again began to practice the old tune, mindlessly.

The weather outside was delightful. The sun was high in the sky and despite the cold winter wind, it was warm. Baekhyun took another look at the single red rose in the bush right outside the studio’s window. His sigh deepened, Miss Woo refused to give up. The sun began to set and Baekhyun was called for dinner, his father didn’t lift his head to greet him.

“Good evening, Father.” Baekhyun forced a smile, trying to sound cheerful.

“Good eveing, Baekhyun.” Both his parents greeted him but the difference in their moods was evident from the tone of their voices.

“You seem low, honey. Is everything okay?” Mrs. Byun placed a tender hand on her husband’s, gaining his attention. Anyone who knew the family well enough, knew that the Byun’s were very close knit. Their love radiated from them and surrounded them, warming anyone in the surrounding radius. Baekhyun placed his hand on his father’s free hand.

“Now that I think about it, you do seem upset, Father.” Baekhyun’s cheeks lifted slightly as he tried to smile. His father looked up with red rimmed eyes, taking both his spouse and son by surprise.

“Honey—“She was cut off when a sob escaped her husband’s lips.

“Father what’s wrong?” Baekhyun inquired, getting up and standing next to his old man.

“I’m so sorry.” He cried out, wrapping his arms around Baekhyun’s shoulders and pulling him into an awkward hug. “I’m so sorry, son!” Tears were beginning to drench Baekhyun’s shirt as he watched his father come undone in his arms.

“What are you sorry about? Father, you’re scaring me.” Baekhyun pulled back to find any clue as to what he was saying from his father’s face but was only left further confused.

“Honey what are you—“Mrs. Byun was once again interrupted when someone cleared their throat from behind the family. Baekhyun turned around and his father gasped when he saw who stood in the dining room’s doorway.

“No! You promised!” He all but yelled at the suited men that blocked the exit.

“No such promise was made, Mr. Byun.” The tall, blond one calmly stated, striding forward and grabbing Baekhyun’s arm.

“What are you doing? Let go of me!” Baekhyun shrieked, failing when he tried to pry his arm out the man’s hold.

“I demand you let me go!” He spat out and the boy laughed.

“You can’t order me around, princess.” He scoffed, dragging him and handing him over to the other male. “It was a pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Byun.” The boy bowed.

“Father? What’s going on?” Baekhyun beat his mother to the question.

“My boy. I’m so sorry. Don’t listen to anything they say. I love you, okay? Baekhyun, I love you.” The man staggered over to hug him but was roughly shoved back by the blond boy.

“Mr. Park doesn’t appreciate other people touching his property.” He sneered and Baekhyun’s eyes widened.

“Dad?” He squeaked out, something he hadn’t called his father in years. The twenty four year old was shivering with the uncertain fear that had begun to sink in.

“Dad loves—“Mr. Byun was harshly cut off.

“Oh save it. You’re precious little daddy here sold you over to save his ass from bankruptcy.” The blond man snickered and the one holding him tightened his grip when Baekhyun began to thrash his arms around.

“What? No! Father tell me he’s lying” Before anyone could answer him Baekhyun was dragged out of the dining room and eventually out of his home.

He proved to be difficult, flailing his arms and refusing to climb into the car, provoking Kris to take matters into his own hands. He grabbed Baekhyun by the neck, hurling him out of Sehun’s tender grip and forced a napkin onto his nose. His protest died down after a few seconds as his limp body fell back onto the younger boy.

 

Baekhyun opened his eyes to an unfamiliar room. The ceiling was high, just like his own room and the bed he lay on was just as fluffy, if not more. He was covered with a satin duvet and the only light in the room was that of the sun shyly filtering through the drawn curtains. He weakly sat up, supporting his weight on his arms. His eyes darted around the room as the events of last night began to play over in his head. Panic began to settle in as his kidnappers words played in his head; _“You’re precious little daddy here sold you over to save his ass from bankruptcy.”_

The weight of the situation began to take a toll on his small body and Baekhyun felt tears rolling down his pale cheeks, he drew his knees into his chest and held them in place, spilling out salty pellets of frustration and betrayal. A part of him wanted to deny it all. Deny that his father, the man that had brought him up, the man that had cleared all his schedules just to attend his recitals, the man that had tucked him in every night since he was little, that very man had sold him over to God knows who for something as worthless as money. Angry tears continued to stain his cheeks.

The door opened slightly, a blond head poked through and then it swung open completely.

“You’re awake!” Baekhyun’s head jolted up, and he was surprised it didn’t dislocate from the force. In the doorway stood a boy, not much older than him, Baekhyun decided. His blond hair had a tint of pink in it and his featured were softer than the two men who had abducted him last night. He strutted in with a tray in his hand and placed it on the glass night stand beside the bed.

“I’m Luhan, you can call me Lu if you want. But not Lulu. Never Lulu unless you want Sehunnie to shoot you.” He giggled, making Baekhyun back away, inching to the far edge of the bed.

“Don’t be afraid of me!” He looked offended and Baekhyun noticed how his mouth dropped open for a couple of seconds before moving again. “I’m not like the others. Just a care taker. You’re Baekhyun right? Let’s be friends, Baekhyun.” He extended a hand for the younger boy to shake.

 _Friends? He wants to be my friend?_ Baekhyun was enraged.

“You kidnap me and then ask to be my friend?!” He roared, jumping out of bed and taking a protective stance.

“Don’t come near me!” He warned when the boy tried to inch closer.

“I know hapkido I won’t hesitate!” He yelled out at the top of his lungs, freezing Luhan in his place. The boy rose his hands up, surrendering and backed away until his back hit the door.

“I won’t hurt you. No one will hurt you.” He tried to reason with him but Baekhyun only retaliated further.

“I want to go home!” He cried out, eyes watering again but he refused to cry. The door suddenly swung open, startling both of them as the taller, blond male from last night stepped in.

“What is all the ruckus about?!” He demanded an answer, boring holes into Baekhyun’s head. “Do you have any manners you little brat? It’s seven in the fucking morning and you’ve woken the entire house with your stupid whining!” Kris huffed and Baekhyun seemed intimidated for a minute before he inhaled a large breath, emptying the air in his lungs with a shrill scream.

“You kidnapped me! Who are you to lecture me about manners?!” He asked once his scream had managed to stun the boys near the doorway. The room was now occupied by two other boys. One of them was the same that had accompanied the taller one in abducting him, the one beside him was shorter, younger looking with blue hair.

“Take me home!” He bellowed again as the men at the door began to panic. “Shut it you little twat before you wake the beast!” Kris hissed only encouraging Baekhyun to scream again.

“I WANT TO GO HOME!!” He repeated his order, stomping his feet on the carpeted floor. Rushed footstep sounded from down the hallway and soon another head joined the four shocked ones.

“Why is he screaming? Oh God, Chanyeol slept late last night he will not be pleased.” The new comer tried to come closer, trying to calm him but flinched away when Baekhyun tried to hit him.

“I want t—“He was cut off when the men suddenly bowed their heads, a roar sounded from the doorway and Baekhyun peered open his eyes to find a disheveled, dark haired boy standing amongst them.

“If you open your mouth one more time, I will drive a bullet through that annoying little mouth of yours.” The man growled, lower than any of the others had but the authoritative aura around him made Baekhyun clamp his lips shut.

“And you,” He turned to face his men, standing with hands clasped in front of them, heads hung low. “You call yourself mobsters yet can’t deal with a spoiled brat?” He raised an eyebrow at the group of tough looking men.

“I’m not a spoiled brat.” Baekhyun murmured and stiffened when the man turned around, having heard him. “Did you just talk back to me?” He whispered, sending chills down Baekhyun’s stiff spine. He shook his head in a no and inched back when the man began to walk towards him.

“I thought so.” He smirked when Baekhyun turned his eyes down to his toes.

Chanyeol, as the others had called him, returned to his room after snarling at his men and Baekhyun sat on the bed, munching on a piece of buttered toast under Luhan’s unwavering stare.

“Do you want something else?” He asked Baekhyun and the boy was confused as to why he was being treated so nicely. Baekhyun had just made them face the wrath of their leader, or whatever he was, and he was asking him if he wanted something else to eat.

“What was your name again?” Baekhyun asked, swallowing the toast.

“Luhan.” The strawberry haired boy beamed at him. Baekhyun nodded, returning his attention to his breakfast.

“You haven’t been kidnapped.” Luhan spoke after a couple of minutes of silence. “You’re supposed to live here now. It’s your house too now.” He gave the younger boy a sympathetic smile and Baekhyun had half a mind to spit on his face, wiping that smile right off but he held back.

“Whatever.” He muttered, dusting his hands free of the crumbs. “I don’t have my clothes, my phone, all my things are back home. How do you suppose I do anything?” He questioned, slipping off the bed, finding it too high for his feet to reach the ground.

“There are clothes in the closet, toiletries are already in the bathroom, and you will be given a phone soon, once Lay is done installing a tracker in it.” He smiled again, making Baekhyun sick to his stomach. He excused himself to go take a shower and heard the door click shut once he turned on the water.

After his long, warm shower, Baekhyun strolled over to the double doored, walk in closet, wondering what lowlife kidnapper had enough money to build a mansion and have it furnished with all the trimmings. Turning the lights on, a gasp escaped his lips when he found the closet completely filled with clothes. He checked each one and it seemed each article was his exact size. The closet was exactly like his own, apart from the range of colours.

Baekhyun decided upon a tan round neck sweater and acid washed jeans before dressing and walking over to the dresser to dry his hair. His freshly washed hair fell over his forehead, obstructing his view just a little as he huffed in frustration. Was he stalked before being kidnapped or was this information given to them, he wondered. The brands of clothing and products were to his convenience and Baekhyun pouted, pondering over the strange situation.

 

Chanyeol tugged at the sleeve of his sweater as he hastened down the flight of stairs. He flipped through the messages on his phone, nothing interesting for the day. Breakfast was served and he was accompanied by his deadliest, most trusted fleet of men. The ten men Chanyeol trusted with his life. It was rare for the young leader to put his trust in anyone but these boys made the cut, a rare exception, a soft spot for the ruthless boss.

“Has the brat been fed?” He asked as he sat on the head chair. The blue haired boy beside him spoke,

“Yes. His name is Baekhyun, by the way.” The older chided and Chanyeol paid it no mind.

“I’d rather call him brat. Can’t change who you are.” Chanyeol shrugged.

“I’m not a brat.” Eleven heads spun faster than they ever had to face the owner of the voice. Baekhyun stood in the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest. “I have a name.”

“Talking back again, I see. Never learned how to give respect, brat?” Chanyeol asked, a playful smirk tugging at his dry lips. He was going to enjoy gutting this spoiled rich kid, he could feel it.

“I want my phone.” Baekhyun stated, ignoring the shocked expressions that were directed towards him while he spoke to their boss, informally.

“This isn’t your father’s mansion and I’m not your father. I won’t be fulfilling every one of your stupid requests, mind that.” Chanyeol’s voice was gaining treble as he slowly rose from his seat, eggs and toast long forgotten. The two older boys beside him stood, ready to hold him back if he tried to harm Baekhyun.

“You brought me here, you have to give me whatever I want.” Baekhyun smirked at him, Luhan and the blue haired boy held him back when he tried to lunge forward.

“I’ll give you a slow death, how about that?” Chanyeol snarled and Baekhyun fought hard to keep his strong façade from breaking.

“How about you try?” He cocked an eyebrow and Chanyeol growled, snapping his arms out of the restraints, marching over to the provocative boy. He grabbed Baekhyun’s jaw with one of his calloused hands and yanked him up to his height. Baekhyun struggled to breath, his jaw nearing its breaking point and Chanyeol backed him into the wall, slamming his tiny frame into the hard, cold surface.

“You should know better than to challenge me, brat. I can make your life hell.” Chanyeol spoke in a low, spine chilling whisper before letting Baekhyun go. The smaller boy fell to the floor on his knees, gasping to catch his lost breath. Luhan rushed to his aid, helping him up and supporting him when he almost collapsed.

“We will talk about this little outburst once I’m back, Park Chanyeol.” He warned and led Baekhyun out of the room, trudging up the stairs.

“I’m sorry about that. He calls you a spoiled brat but the truth is, he himself is no better.” Luhan shook his head and Baekhyun let out a frustrated chuckle.

 

Once Luhan came back to the dining room, all hell broke loose. Minseok and Junmyeon had been holding back for him to return and once he was back, they began the lecture.

“I understand that you may have bought the boy, Chanyeol but he is a guest in our house.” Luhan began as soon as he crossed the threshold.

“He is just a boy, not much older than you.” Minseok continued the scolding.

“I expect you to behave. You may be a big bad gangster in the streets, Yeol but don’t forget that you will be chewed up and spit out if you act up inside the house.” Junmyeon spoke after Minseok and the youngest on the table, gave Chanyeol a questioning look.

“What? Don’t tell me you guys are going soft on me. He’s only been here, what? 12 hours? And you’re taking his side?” Chanyeol stood, ignoring his breakfast for the second time that morning, annoyed that he was being interrupted while eating.

“No one is going soft, Chanyeol but if you scare the boy he will find a way to run away.” Kyungsoo’s calm voice broke through the ruckus.

“I’ll cut his legs off before he decides to run. He is my property now! I own him!” Chanyeol bellowed, earning a smack on the nape from Minseok.

“I did not raise you like this.” Minseok waved a finger and Kris kissed his teeth, attracting attention towards him. He had been silent throughout the heated discussion.

“Chanyeol is right, the brat needs to know who he belongs to now. A few… fatal beatings might do the trick.” He shared a menacing smirk with Chanyeol. Junmyeon gasped and stood from his seat.

“You two have gone absolutely insane! He is just a boy. He’s not a spy or a traitor that you need to bring down your fists on him. Think about it, he hasn’t ever stepped out of the walls surrounding his house, cradled by his parents. Do you expect him to just accept the fact that his father gave him away?!” Junmyeon was yelling by the time he was finished and the rest of the boys looked up at him as if he had gone mad.

“Give him time to adjust. No more threats or attempts to hurt him. Understood?” He cocked an eyebrow, looking between Chanyeol and Kris and the two nodded, dumbfounded.

 

Sometimes Chanyeol wondered who the leader of the gang was. He pushed the files on his desk back, replacing them with his feet. He clicked the pen between his fingers, pulling it between his lips, deep in thought. The Byun’s boy had something about him that made Chanyeol queasy. He wondered if the boy was naturally bratty or seemed that way, with is pouty lips and furrowed eyebrows. His lips, Chanyeol had noticed, were unlike his own. They had been plump and well moisturized. Chanyeol ran his thumb over his own lips, feeling the ragged skin brush against it. He pursed his lips together, getting up from his seat, deciding to take swim.

Baekhyun sulked around in his room, sitting up and then lying back down on the bed. He had taken a nap in the afternoon, waking up when the sun had finally set. He dragged his body off the silky sheets he had wasted the day on and pulled open the balcony doors, the cold air slapping against his face felt refreshing and Baekhyun welcomed it with a serene smile. He clasped his hands onto the railing as he leaned forward to sniff the fresh, winter air. His train of thought was interrupted when he heard a splash, followed by the sound of water being pushed around. Baekhyun looked down to find a raven haired male leisurely stroking his long, muscular arms in the rectangular pool right below his balcony.

Chanyeol dunked his head inside the water, holding his breath and counting to ten. He pulled out right after, pushing his hair off his face and inhaling a deep breath. The water always helped calm his nerves. He felt eyes on him, unfamiliar yet un-alarming. He made a show of his muscled biceps by deliberately taking longer to stroke his arms in front of him. Baekhyun gulped when he realized who the man in the swimming pool was and immediately felt his body heating up from embarrassment. He realized he had been staring for long and immediately darted back to the room, shutting the doors and putting his back against them. He took a deep breath and just then the door to the room shied open. Luhan informed him that dinner was ready and he would be having it with the rest of them. Not wanting to face the consequences of refusing, Baekhyun nodded and promised to be down in a little while.

Chanyeol’s hair was still slightly damp when Baekhyun entered the room. He timidly took the vacant seat next to the giant, wondering why he was seated near the crazy man.

“Don’t worry, Baekhyun. He won’t hurt you anymore.” The blue haired boy spoke from across him, as if sensing his reluctance. Baekhyun nodded and shoveled a spoonful of rice in his mouth, chewing slowly. He looked around the table, a range of men were seated around him, some eating like they should be and some shoving food into their mouths like their life depended on it. Baekhyun scrunched his nose when loud chewing filled the room. The boy next to him, the one who had captured him, spoke, his voice muffled by the food inside it and a few grains of rice flew out.

“Swallow before you speak, Sehun.” A rather mature looking boy spoke from the left and Baekhyun grimaced when Sehun gulped down the large wad of food in his mouth. His disgust didn’t go unnoticed by the giant next to him,

“Oh watch yourself, Sehun. The princess isn’t used to people eating.” Baekhyun didn’t lift his eyes at the remark but surely looked up when the blue haired boy smacked the taller on the back of his head.

“I said,” Sehun said, swallowing the last bits of rice in his mouth, “we should introduce ourselves.” His suggestion invoked an uproar of approvals and eager hands shot up for the chance to go first. The blue haired boy cleared his throat and the noise died down.

“Kim Minseok,” He extended a hand and Baekhyun reluctantly took it. “I’m the oldest, nice to meet you.” He flashed a gummy smile at Baekhyun and before Baekhyun could return the gesture his attention was caught by a cough.

“We’ve already met, Luhan, remember?” Luhan smiled from the far end of the table and Baekhyun nodded. Luhan nudged the boy next to him and he coughed out the food that almost choked him before looking up at Baekhyun.

“Kris.” He muttered and Baekhyun frowned.

“You drugged me.” Baekhyun commented and Kris shot his eyes up to glare at him.

“Because you kept hitting me!” He almost yelled but Luhan pinched him.

“No more yelling.” He ordered and another person spoke up.

“Kim Junmyeon. You can call me Suho, everyone else does.” He offered Baekhyun a sincere smile and Baekhyun returned the gesture.

“This is Lay, he doesn’t speak much but he has good heart.” Said man looked up at him with a dazed expression and Baekhyun mentally giggled at the thought of a kind hearted mafia member.

“I’m Jongdae.” The boy right next to Lay grabbed his attention. “You tried to hit me this morning.” Chanyeol scoffed at that and Baekhyun paid him no attention to which Chanyeol’s frown deepened.

“Tao, nice to meet you I guess.” Baekhyun cooed at the way the scary looking boy seemed confused at what to say. His dark eye bags seemed inherited and Baekhyun gave him a curt wave of his hand.

“I’m Kyungsoo. If you like the food, you can thank me.” His lips curled up into a heart shaped smile and Baekhyun gave him his own rectangular one.

“It’s very nice.” Baekhyun commented and Chanyeol furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. Why was this brat warming up to his men, he failed to understand.

“I’m Jongin but I would appreciate it if you called me Kai. We should hang out sometime. I can help you—“the chatty boy was cut off when Sehun slammed his hand over his face.

“Oh Sehun. Call me Sehun and only Sehun. Not Sehunnie. Never Sehunnie.” He gave Baekhyun a sickly smile and Baekhyun moved a little in his seat to look up at him, nodding his head in acknowledgment.

“Chanyeol?” Minseok called out and everyone else, including Baekhyun turned to the scowling boy. He hummed in response, eyes glued to his plate.

“Are you going to introduce yourself?” Minseok asked and Chanyeol sighed. He put his chopstick down, clasped his hands together and leaned forward to square his eyes on Baekhyun’s face. Once he was sure the shorter boy was intimidated, he spoke in a low, superior tone.

“Park Chanyeol. I’m the one who owns you now, you best know that. No matter what the others tell you, I am not your friend. I will hurt you if you defy me and I will even go to the length to kill you if you try to harm me or any of my men. I don’t like you, you’re smile makes me nauseas and I want to throw you in the basement but my brothers here have a soft spot for you. Don’t cross my path and I’ll try not to kill you.”

Chanyeol smirked once he was finished, satisfied with the fear that washed over Baekhyun’s face.


	2. The River Flows in You

Chapter: II 

 

“Park Chanyeol. I’m the one who owns you now, you best know that. No matter what the others tell you, I am not your friend. I will hurt you if you defy me and I will even go to the length to kill you if you try to harm me or any of my men. I don’t like you, you’re smile makes me nauseas and I want to throw you in the basement but my brothers here have a soft spot for you. Don’t cross my path and I’ll try not to kill you.” Chanyeol smirked when fear flashed across Baekhyun’s face and he squirmed back in his seat. The taller boy was not prepared for what happened next. Baekhyun stuck his hand out, taking Chanyeol by surprise.

“N-nice to meet you too.” His smile was evident from his tone of voice and Sehun all but choked at his reaction to Chanyeol’s threat.

“What?” The leader asked and Baekhyun found the strength to repeat his words, without stuttering this time. Chanyeol huffed, pushing his chair back and storming out of the dining room that soon erupted into howls and chuckles of satisfaction.

“I like you already.” Sehun clapped him on the back and Baekhyun retracted his hand.

 

_Nice to meet you too._

It was haunting him. Chanyeol lay in his bed, covers down by his feet as cold air blew in through the open balcony doors. He turned to his side, eyebrows knitted together.

_Was he trying to test me?_ He thought to himself, rubbing his chin.

Chanyeol glanced over to the clock on the wall, half past twelve and he still hadn’t been able to sleep. He had a flight the next morning and Chanyeol could already predict the difficulty he would face waking up. Two hours later and Baekhyun’s words refused to leave his head. They had etched their way into a little corner of his brain, replaying over and over again until Chanyeol finally let out a frustrated groan.

“Let me sleep!” He lifted his body off the bed and threw himself down again, thrashing around, messing up the neat sheets.

At four, when Kris came to check if he had woken up, Chanyeol sat on the edge of his bed, tying the laces on his shoes. He dusted his hands off and lifted his blood shot eyes to look up at Kris.

“Don’t ask.” He raised a hand when Kris opened his mouth to ask why he looked like he had been run over by a truck.

 

In the week that followed, Baekhyun had become used to the routine that went around the Park Residency. The team of maids would enter the house at six thirty sharp, the furniture was dusted, the kitchen was washed and the floors were vacuumed. The pool was cleaned every other day at eight and by nine, Kyungsoo served breakfast. Sehun and Kai made sure to use the track in the backyard to their advantage, racing around it for thirty minutes before the pool cleaners arrived. The lawn was trimmed after three days and by eleven, the workers and servants had departed.

“No permanent staff can be kept due to security reasons.” Minseok had explained and Baekhyun had nodded, mouth hung open as he watched the maids work faster than he had ever seen at his own house.

As surprising as it was, Baekhyun didn’t seem to miss his old house at all, mostly because he was free from his professors and had all the time to lounge around and play games on his new phone. Baekhyun had no friends, thanks to his father’s strict ‘no school’ policy. He spent his days either playing video games or strolling around in the huge mansion. There was one door that always remained locked, Chanyeol’s study. No one but his men were allowed to enter it and every once a week, under Minseok’s supervision, the maids swept it clean.

Baekhyun learned a lot about Park Chanyeol while he was away. Luhan told him about how Chanyeol had been taken from his parents at a young age, he had practically been raised by the Minseok. Chanyeol had inheritted and now ran almost all the underground pubs in Korea. No human trafficking took place since Chanyeol had a strict policy against it. Baekhyun learned that he had been the first person Chanyeol had bought, due to his own father’s insistence and Baekhyun fell into a war with himself. Was his father the bad guy here?

He learned a little about the crew as well. There were no ally gangs in Chanyeol’s line of work, mostly because it was a monopoly. Power had dominance and Chanyeol had power. Every part of his Mafia was controlled by the ten heads. Minseok was the supervisor, dealing with the thugs that did their dirty work for them. Lay was mostly the inside guy, dealing with sensitive material; hacking and taking care of transactions. Junmyeon worked as the gang’s accountant, dealing with all of the loans and lending. He had finalized Mr. Byun’s loan as well. Sehun, Kai and Tao were the body guards, hitmen, assasins whatever you want to call them basically, Baekhyun concluded, they protected the big man.

Kyungsoo was the sniper; sharp, accurate and deadly. Jongdae handled the drug cartel; supervising the deals and making sure deliveries reached the right place at the right time. Luhan was the mellowest of them all, gentle and caring. He mostly stayed home, making sure the servants did their job properly but apart from that he had a morbid fascination with knives.Kris was the right hand man, quick to kill and hot headed.

Chanyeol boarded the plane along with Kris, falling asleep as soon as the ‘fasten your seat belt’ light went off. The job had been easy, killing had been unnecessary and they had left with a briefcase full of cash and guns still loaded. The flight went by in a sleepy blur, the twenty three year old vaguely remembered, Kris humming along to a song. He smiled at the way the older boy had his guard down and them let slumber take him away once again.

Chanyeol woke up in time to hear the flight attendant bid the passengers farewell, he ignored her greeting as he followed the line of passengers down the platform and into the busy airport. No long line through customs was necessary, both men shouldered their carry on and trudged out of the crowded airport, finding their car right where they had parked it.

It was true that Chanyeol had contacts all over Korea but Seoul was his home. His hub, the source of all his power. No one dared question him, not even the higher authorities. There was no competition and thus, the young mafia boss worked in harmony, no fear of being over thrown any time soon. Large business owners took loans from him to ensure their position in the economy, which he happily provided. If they failed to pay back, Kyungsoo happily took care of the garbage.

As Kris turned the car out onto the familiar streets, Chanyeol felt a surge of excitement. Park Chanyeol kept business and pleasure completely separated, hence the reason he never had a personal whore, like the sleazy business men he dealt with. Despite his tense nature of his work, sex and alcohol were two things he never found pleasure in. Chanyeol drank a decent amount of whiskey on special occasions, he kept his hands to himself and his scowl did its job in warding off unnecessary women.

 

Baekhyun woke up to the sound of grunts and groans, again. At first he had been alarmed by them but as the days went by, he became used to the loud sounds Sehun made while working out in the garden. Baekhyun skipped over to the balcony and as per his routine, waved at the young boys running on the mud track. They returned the gesture, finding it difficult not to smile at the bright boy. They were supposed to be tough gangsters and here they were; waving their hands and smiling at a civilian. Chanyeol would gut them if he saw it.

Breakfast and cleaning finally came to an end and Baekhyun somehow managed to convince Sehun to play a video game with him. They sat on the two seater in front of the large flat screen TV, the rest of them littering the countless other sofas. Baekhyun let himself get lost in the war, screaming and voicing his angst out loud, every time Sehun beat him in a battle. Mortal Combat turned out to be a game he wasn’t good at so Baekhyun decided to try his luck with Call of Duty.

 

Chanyeol heared a defeated groan as soon as he entered the house. He followed Kris into the living room to find Baekhyun almost climbing on top of Sehun to snatch the controller from him, he willed down the wave of uneasiness as he watched, bag dropping to the floor.

“Oh c’mon Sehunnie. Let him have it.” Luhan chided, flipping through the magazine in his hands.

“Why can’t you just let me win like a normal person?” Baekhyun whined and Chanyeol found himself smiling, mindlessly.

“Life won’t let you win, Princess.” Sehun said, chuckling at how red Baekhyun’s face had gotten. Chanyeol noticed the chubby cheeks that puffed out while Baekhyun failed to gain advantage over Sehun. Due to lack of any physical exercise the smaller male had gained a few pounds, his body gaining curves in all the right places. Chanyeol pushed the thought away as he cleared his throat. Everyone in the room paused to turn and look at him.

“Aha! Got it!” Baekhyun lunged forward, falling on his bum when Sehun moved the controller out of the way.

The boys greeted Chanyeol and Kris and then returned to whatever task they had at hand. Baekhyun lifted himself off the ground and crossed his arms over his chest, sitting back down beside Sehun.

“Why’d you have to come back? Everyone was more fun when you were gone.” He muttered to himself and Chanyeol raised an eyebrow when Sehun choked, stifling back a laugh.

“You don’t seem too happy to see me.” Chanyeol said from his place next to Minseok. Baekhyun barely glanced at him before turning to Sehun.

“Can we play another round? Please? I’m sure I’ll win this time.” Sehun turned to look at Chanyeol, the boy had a scowl on his face, staring at the back of Baekhyun’s head.

“You didn’t answer my question, brat.” Chanyeol tried to keep calm, willing down the urge to punch something.

“Sehun, one last round. Please?” Baekhyun ignored Chanyeol, enraging him further. Sehun gave him a pointed look, warning him of the consequences but Baekhyun was feeling rebellious, itching to know how far he could drive Park Chanyeol before he snapped. The living room fell into a tensed silence as the tiny burnet lifted himself off his fluffy seat.

“Fine! I’ll just go to my room and play by myself.” Baekhyun turned to leave but didn’t make it far. He yelped when he was roughly pulled back by a hand on his wrist, pulled into a rock hard wall. He peered up to meet dark, fiery eyes. An involuntary shiver ran down his spine as the eyes bore holes into his skull.

“You didn’t answer my question, Baekhyun.” Chanyeol minced his words through clenched teeth, an inhuman growl sounding deep from the pit of his stomach.

“I didn’t feel the need to feed your ego with an answer.” Baekhyun bit his tongue, regretting the words that slipped through his lips when Chanyeol gripped his wrist tighter.

“Chanyeol—“Minseok began to protest but was cut off when Chanyeol raised a hand. Although he was the oldest, Chanyeol ran the business and his age never came between him and his superiority. Chanyeol tugged at Baekhyun’s wrist, storming up the stairs, pulling him along.

Baekhyun was afraid his hand would dislocate from where Chanyeol was gripping it, he looked back at the boys with pleading eyes not knowing where was being dragged to. None of them moved, Minseok mouthed an ‘I’m sorry’ and Baekhyun felt tears beginning to sting his eyes.

“Ch-Chanyeol, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. I-I’ll be good I promise.” Baekhyun pleaded, bringing his other hand up to hold Chanyeol’s. He was harshly thrown onto a soft surface, a bed, Baekhyun thought but couldn’t make it out due to his blurry vision.

“I know exactly how to deal with spoiled brats like you.” Chanyeol sneered, unbuckling his belt and pulling it out of the loops, snapping it a few times to alert the smaller male.

“I’m s-sorry…” Baekhyun choked on his tears, before the wall broke and the flood came pouring out. He brought his hands up to cover his face, folding in on himself, awaiting the eventual beating he was about to receive but the blow never came.

Chanyeol lowered his hand, fury turning into confusion. He had people beg for mercy before, yell and scream even but never had he ever witnessed anyone crying before him, given that he had only dealt with criminals in the past. This tiny boy lay before him; a crying, shivering mess and all the mighty Park Chanyeol could do was stare, oblivious of the stirring in his stomach.

Baekhyun peered open his eyes when he heard the door slam shut, he blinked away the tears to find the room empty. It wasn’t his room but bigger and warmer. It had a few things that customized it, indicating that it belonged to someone and wasn’t just some random guest room in the huge mansion. Baekhyun’s body felt weak and the shivering didn’t stop, if anything the tears found their way back to his eyes and he tucked himself into his arms, letting the fear envelope him, drifting off to tear induced sleep.

“What did you do to him?!” Luhan inquired as soon as Chanyeol returned.

“Nothing.” The taller mumbled, eyes staring at nothing, voice far away. He ignored the questions being thrown his way and quietly walked out of the living room, slamming and locking the door behind him, confining himself to his study. He didn’t come out the rest of the day.

The boys found Baekhyun sleeping in Chanyeol’s room, face streaked with dried tears and body folded in on itself. There were no indications of a punishment on him so they decided to let him rest. Neither Chanyeol nor Baekhyun came down for dinner and Luhan paced the dining room, hands behind his back, worried about the afternoon’s events.

“Do you think they’re okay?” Luhan asked an equally as worried Minseok and the boy shrugged. Sehun pulled the pacing boy into his lap, rubbing soothing circles onto his back.

“Relax Lulu. Chanyeol Hyung did nothing to him. He was fine, you saw it with your own two eyes.”

“Oh so you’re calling him hyung now that his ass is on the line?” Junmyeon shook his head when Sehun smiled and enthusiastically nodded his head.

 

The next time they saw Baekhyun was the following morning when he dragged his feet to the breakfast table. Baekhyun kept his head low, quietly eating his toast. The tension only grew when Chanyeol entered, took his seat at the head of the table and without uttering a single word, stabbed his fork into his eggs. No one spoke and as soon as Baekhyun had finished his food, he bowed his head, thanked Kyungsoo for the food and left the room. The others glared and Chanyeol when the smaller boy shuffled out and Kris winked at him, leaving a lingering felling of guilt in Chanyeol's heart.

 

Baekhyun avoided Chanyeol like the plague for the entire week. He kept his head low, only coming out of his room to eat and then returning and throwing the blankets over himself, providing a false sense of security. He even turned down Sehun’s request to play video games and the younger frowned at Chanyeol as Baekhyun inched up the stairs.

At night, Baekhyun would lay wide awake, wondering if his mother and father missed him, wondering why they hadn’t called. It had almost been a month since he had been lifted from his house and Baekhyun felt a gaping hole forming in his heart as reality settled in. He had made a foolish mistake to consider these people as his friends, enjoying his freedom away from his father’s rules and regulations.

Reality slapped him like the cruel wind that blew in through the balcony doors, Baekhyun was a captive in this house. A toy, a piece of belonging, he was Park Chanyeol’s property and he could do nothing about it. No matter how much he laughed or smiled or tried to make himself home in between the boys, it didn’t change the fact that he was nothing more than a burden. He had been a burden on his father so he had been sold to the Mafia and now he was a burden on Chanyeol. Baekhyun wondered if his father had ever truly loved him, if all his affection had been an act.

Baekhyun’s pillow soaked through with his tears and he bit down on his knuckles, swallowing the sobs that threatened to escape. He wondered if Miss Woo missed him, he promised to himself that he would listen to her if he could go back to his house. He promised himself he would study well so that his father wouldn’t throw him away. Twenty four year old Baekhyun lay on side, knees pulled into his chest as he cried his heart out, wondering if he even knew the meaning of love anymore. He choked back on his tears, humming the lullaby his mother would sing to him, albeit broken occasionally by his cries. Baekhyun patted his hair down, crying and singing himself to sleep.

“Park Chanyeol!” Minseok pounded on his door, threatening to break it down if the latter refused to open it. A few seconds later, the door pulled open taking Minseok by surprise. As the older boy steadied himself, the scent of whiskey invaded his senses.

“Are you drinking?” He asked, pinching his nose when the stench became unbearable. Chanyeol hummed, falling back on his chair, a distant look in his eyes.

“He cried, Hyung.” He said after a moment of silence.

“Huh?” Minseok turned to him with a confused look on his face, joined by Luhan who just entered the office.

“I wanted to punish him for talking back to me but he cried.” Chanyeol kept his eyes fixed on the painting perched on the far wall. “I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t hit him. I wanted to, God knows I wanted to beat him to pulp for disrespecting me but I couldn’t.” He sat up, shifting his gaze to the boys sitting in front of him.

“What’s wrong with me, hyung? I kill people for a living, I have more blood on my hands than I can count. I’m Park Chanyeol. I’m The Park Chanyeol!” He spoke in a raised whisper, unsure of his own raspy voice.

“Chanyeol,” Luhan began when he was sure Minseok wasn’t going to talk, “You kill monsters, cold blooded killers, not innocent kids.” Luhan shook his head when Chanyeol looked up at him. He realized how young the boy still was. His usual scowl and fitted suits made him look older than he was and Luhan mentally cooed at how clueless Chanyeol looked at that very moment.

“You should apologize, you know. He was such a breath of fresh air in this stuffy place. He even made Sehun laugh.” Luhan tried to reason with the drunkard.

“Apol—“He was cut off by a hiccup, “Apologize?” He turned his eyes towards Minseok and the older boy nodded, lips pressed together in a thin line. Chanyeol leaned forward on his elbows, sighing and dropping his head.

“Fine. Do you guys know what he likes?” He asked, looking up after a few minutes. Luhan and Minseok shared a knowing look before grinning and nodding at Chanyeol, knowing exactly what to do.

 

The next morning, Baekhyun was awoken by loud noises coming from below his window. He could tell people were talking but failed to make out the words. Baekhyun jumped out of bed to pear out through the balcony and found an army of men, carrying a large wooden crate into the house. Baekhyun debated whether to go downstairs and check what it was or to dive back in bed and sleep the day away. In the end, curiosity got the better of him and he pulled on his robe, sneaking out of his room. Chanyeol stood in the middle of the living room, talking to a shorter man, scribbling his signature onto a clipboard. Baekhyun ducked his head to sneak around him, not wanting to face him.

Baekhyun pushed past the large men that were carrying wooden pellets out of the drawing room and straightened his back to find a grand piano sitting in the middle of it, reflecting the light from the crystal chandelier that hung above it. He gasped as he approached it, running his fingers over the familiar ivory and ebony keys, a sweet melody filling the air. The men left with the rest of the casing and Baekhyun found himself smiling down at his reflection in the polished lid. He was in awe, surprised to the point where he didn’t hear the soft footsteps when Chanyeol entered the room.

“Do you like it?” He asked in a soft whisper, something Baekhyun was unfamiliar to. The shorter boy jumped out of his skin, turning to face him, colour draining from his cheeks. Baekhyun backed away from the piano, balling his hands at his side.

“I didn’t mean to touch it. I-I’m sorry.” He stuttered out, recalling what Kris had said about Chanyeol not liking people touching his things. Baekhyun’s fear turned to confusion when Chanyeol chuckled, he wondered if he had gone crazy.

“Why are you sorry?” Chanyeol asked, inching closer, smiling down at the boy trying to melt into the wall.

“It’s yours.” He stated when he was only a foot away from Baekhyun.

“It’s mine?” He asked, flabbergasted. He was further confused when Chanyeol nodded. Baekhyun flinched when Chanyeol reached his hand out and he quickly retreated it, deciding to take it one step at a time.

“Try playing it.” Chanyeol urged him to come forward by taking a few steps back. Baekhyun cautiously approached the piano, afraid that it might be a trap. He kept his eyes on Chanyeol’s feet, ready to dash if he made the slightest of movements. When he didn’t move, Baekhyun sat down on the bench and cracked his knuckles, ready to see how much he remembered. Baekhyun barely touched the keys, hovering over them gently as he played the tune he was most familiar with.

Chanyeol’s breath caught in his throat as he watched Baekhyun’s nimble fingers move over the rows of black and white. The sunlight filtering through the drawn curtains formed a halo around Baekhyun, particles of dust creating and ethereal aura around the tiny brunette. Chanyeol didn’t realize when the tears began to fall as the familiar melody wafted around him, taking each and every one of his emotions and twisting them into something he never knew could exist within him. Baekhyun was almost to the end when a hand circled around his wrist and he was pulled up from the bench. Chanyeol’s breath came out in heavy, labored pants as he looked down into Baekhyun’s eyes, Baekhyun stared back with half the intensity, fogged by confusion and partly by fear. Chanyeol opened his mouth to speak, taken aback by the swirls of hazel running through Baekhyun’s otherwise chocolaty brown eyes.

“Never play that again.” He breathed out, letting go his wrist and turning to leave. Chanyeol stopped at the threshold, turning to look back at the disheveled boy.

“It’s yours. Play it all you want. Just not that.” With that, Chanyeol turned around and left. Baekhyun saw him again at breakfast but it wasn’t the same. Something tugged at the strings of Baekhyun’s heart. He had spent the entire Sunday morning playing the piano, Chanyeol had gotten him but even then, he felt weird. Chanyeol didn’t look up from his plate and Baekhyun noticed the way he kept his gaze directed away from him.

“I never thanked you.” Baekhyun was the first one to break through the deadly silence. All heads turned to look at him before their eyes settled on Chanyeol.

“It’s okay.” Chanyeol whispered, returning to slowly chewing his scrambled eggs.

“I really like it.” Baekhyun went on, trying to lift the mood. Minseok nodded in encouragement when Baekhyun looked at him with uncertainty in his eyes.

“I’ll smash it if you ever play that song again.” Chanyeol pushed his chair back, ran a hand through his freshly washed hair and left, mumbling something about taking a walk.

“What was that all about?” Sehun asked and the rest shrugged, indifferently.

“This morning he asked me to try it out so I played The River Flows in you. It was the only one I could remember and he got kind of angry at me.” Baekhyun admitted and Minseok gave him a worried once over.

“Did he hurt you?” Baekhyun shook his head.

“He just told me never to play it again and left.” He watched as the boys went back to eating, not having the slightest of clues as to what could’ve angered Chanyeol.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have decided to update every Thursday and Friday according to PKT (Pakistan Standard Time) I hope you guys like this chapter. Let me know what you think :)


	3. Chanyeollie

Chapter III

 

Baekhyun returned to his room after waiting up for Chanyeol to return. He closed his eyes to sleep and just as he convinced himself that the giant wouldn’t be returning any time soon, a melody reverberated through the silent mansion halls.

It started off as mindless pressing of keys until Chanyeol found himself sitting in front of the piano, fingers working by themselves as they danced across the keyboard. His mind was on autopilot, lips parting, spewing out lyrics to a song that was stored somewhere far away in his head, somewhere he seldom visited.

 _I can’t overcome the sadness in my heart,_  
Another one of my sleepless nights, I endure it once more,  
I really don’t mind the sadness,  
It absentmindedly wakes me up again in the morning.

Baekhyun hugged the railing, wrapping his arms around the cold metal as he strained his ears to listen to the song. Chanyeol’s voice was husky and deep, everything Baekhyun’s wasn’t. The raspy tone was laced with an emotion both boys failed to identify. Every lyric that the younger boy sang flew like an arrow, marking its target right on Baekhyun’s soul.

 _The injury seems worse than I thought it’d be,_  
The pain seems to dig in deeper than I thought it would,  
In the countless nights I spent resenting you,  
It feels like I’m in hell.

The brunette found his lips curling up slightly before he caught himself. He stayed there, hugging the railing and leaning forward until the music stopped and a faint sob took its place. Baekhyun’s back stiffened, body frozen in place as he heard the soft cries resonating through the house. He remembered the tears he had seen in Chanyeol’s eyes that very morning, wondering what effect the song had had on him.

 _Please just stay by my side, please remain here,_  
Don’t let go of my hand as you’re holding it in yours,  
If this takes you a step further away from me,  
All I have to do is take a step closer, right?

Chanyeol hunched forward, shocked by his own reaction to the lyrics of the song. They were striking the walls he had built, knocking the bricks out of place. His head was throbbing as unfamiliar tears marked salty tracks down his face. He hastily wiped them off, standing up, tugging his shirt down and stumbled out of the drawing room. It was going to a long sleepless night.

 

The next morning, Baekhyun had made up his mind; he would make Chanyeol smile. It seemed impossible at first, the sad frown on the taller boy’s face seemed permanent but Baekhyun refused to give up.

After breakfast he took a few deep breaths and approached him.

“Chanyeol?” He asked, cautiously inching closer as Chanyeol lowered his newspaper. The rest of the boys sat on the edge of their seats, unaware of Baekhyun’s goal for the day.

“Do you… maybe wanna play COD with me?” Baekhyun asked when Chanyeol raised an eyebrow.

“Hyung! I am offended!” Sehun interrupted but sat back down when Luhan glared at him. Baekhyun continued,

“I’m new to it and I really wanted to see if I’m making progress.” He smiled but immediately stopped, pursing his lips instead when Chanyeol’s words rang in his head.

 _“…your smile makes me nauseas.”_ He had said.

Chanyeol was utterly confused, something he found himself being a lot since the brunet had entered his home and his life. He scratched the back of his head, surveying the room to find an answer, when he got none he folded his newspaper, placed it neatly on the table and rose from his seat.

“Sure.” He said while walking out of the room, unaware of the wide grin that was now plastered on Baekhyun’s face as he followed.

 

It had been almost twenty minutes since they had left and Luhan was growing anxious. He moved his chair towards the door and peaked his head into the living room to find Chanyeol on the couch with Baekhyun sitting by his feet, tongue sticking out in concentration. The rest of the boys soon followed, gawking at the sight before them.

Baekhyun whined when Chanyeol shot his player. He jumped up to his feet, pointing his controller at the taller boy.

“How dare you!” He shouted and Chanyeol’s eyes widened. Baekhyun inched back, raising his hands in apology before settling back down.

Another round started and Baekhyun continued to yell out profanities at the screen growing agitated with each failure. His annoyance died down, however, when he turned around to find Chanyeol smiling at the screen. His own lips curled up, proud of his success.

 

The next day seemed to be a special one. Baekhyun was descending from the stairs, rubbing his eyes to get rid of the sleep dust when he heard glass break.

“It’s okay. It’s okay, Cindy. Just get the other ones and we’ll try to make it work.” Minseok hurried the blonde towards the front door and pinched the bridge of his nose as he stared at the broken pieces.

“What’s going on?” Baekhyun asked, trying to stay out of the staff’s way. There were more people inside the house than usual. Minseok had a planner tucked under his arm as he pointed at something for the girls to clean.

“It’s Kyungsoo’s birthday.” Minseok flashed his signature gummy smile at him, leading him to the dining room where the rest of the boys hurried to finish their meal.

“Hurry and eat. I have a task for you.” Baekhyun did as told, noticing that a certain giant was missing from the table.

“He’s gone to take care of something.” Sehun answered the questions in his head and Baekhyun nodded at the boy before sitting next to him.

 

It was all hands on deck and Minseok made Baekhyun sit by the pool and hang fairy lights all around the edges, taking care not to get them wet. It seemed simple but proved to be a tedious task. Kyungsoo was missing as well, it was surprise after all.

By the time the sun went down, guests began to arrive. Baekhyun ran up to get dressed, spending fifteen minutes to decide on an appropriate outfit. In the end he gave up, pulling out a blue button down and dark jeans. After a quick shower, he blow dried his hair, setting it with the tiniest amount of hair spray and made his way down stairs.

Introduction weren’t needed, everyone already knew who he was. Luhan introduced him to a few important people and their partners, mostly girlfriends or wives. He went around bowing politely to all of them, all the while keeping an eye out for a certain giant he hadn’t seen all day.

The party was in full swing, the fountain in the front yard was illuminated by dim, yellow lights, colouring the water elegantly. The poolside bar was crowded with guests, drinking and chatting away. Thirty minutes into the party, the front door swung open and the birthday boy walked in, surprised indeed when everyone yelled it out. They sang the birthday song for him and Baekhyun watched as Chanyeol snuck out from behind Kyungsoo to join the crowd. Once his associates dispersed, Baekhyun wished the birthday boy all the blessing of the world and led him out to the backyard to show him his handy work.

In all his excitement, Baekhyun completely forgot about Chanyeol. He appeared again, a little later, hair damp and with a change of clothes. Baekhyun noticed the slight frown on his face but decided to ignore it for the time being. The guest began to shuffle inside for dinner and Baekhyun soon found himself alone in the backyard.

“Can I offer you a drink?” A deep voice asked from his left and Baekhyun turned around to find a suited man sitting beside him on a bar stool.

“Sure.” Baekhyun beamed, taking in his appearance. The man was smart, in a fitted grey suit, hair gelled back and a gold watch, snug around his wrist. He ordered a whiskey for himself and a Sangria for Baekhyun and then turned to make small talk.

 

“Hyung, where’s that brat?” Chanyeol bent down to whisper to Luhan. The kitchen was crowded with guests and Chanyeol was struggling to find his composure.

“Baekhyun? I don’t know I haven’t seen him in a while.” Luhan shrugged and returned his attention to the couple in front of him. Chanyeol frowned, scratching the back of his head.

_Where is he?_

 

A few drinks later, Baekhyun understood why his father didn’t let him consume alcohol. His head was lulling from side to side, refusing to stop spinning. He felt a hand on his thigh and remembered being picked up and sat on higher ground.

“You sure are pretty.” The man in the grey suit said and Baekhyun giggled, throwing his head back.

“Pretty…” He repeated, finding interest in the man’s tie, rolling it around in his hand.

Baekhyun furrowed his eyebrows when the man pulled him down towards his face and he flailed his arms around to ward him off.

“Stay still!” The man ordered as he tried to capture Baekhyun’s lips in his own but Baekhyun refused to comply, enraging the man with his refusal.

“No don’t touch me!” Baekhyun shrieked when he felt a hand sneak up his shirt, he kicked the man away, falling off the bar, losing his balance. The man was angry now, growling at him, he grabbed a fist full of Baekhyun’s hair, hurling him up and slamming him against the deserted bar.

“Listen here you little cunt, I’ve bought you enough drinks to earn a good few rounds of my own, understand?” He whispered against Baekhyun’s lips, grabbing his chin to keep him still.

Baekhyun wriggled under the man’s weight trying to break out of the iron grip on his hair that was making his head hurt. In his dazed state he gathered up saliva in his mouth and as soon as the man tried to get closer, he spat on his face, catching him off guard. When the man let go of him, Baekhyun made a run for it, stumbling and staggering due to the instability of his legs. His entire body was becoming fluid under the influence of alcohol, head spinning and throbbing, trying to get away from the man.

He turned his head back to check on his attacker, forgetting to watch where he was going. Baekhyun collided with a rock hard surface, losing his balance once again. He closed his eyes waiting for the impact that never came. A firm hand caught hold of him, pulling him up to his feet and dragging him to hide behind the tall, broad body.

“Chanyeol?” Baekhyun whispered, afraid that his mind was playing games with him. Chanyeol’s scowl was enough to sober Baekhyun up as he stared down at him, flames shooting out of his dark orbs.

“Thank God, boss. This little wench spat on me!” The man snarled, reaching his hand out for Chanyeol to hand Baekhyun over.

Chanyeol eyed the man up and down, raising an eyebrow and looking back at the boy that was now clinging to his arm.

“Chanyeol, he tried to rape me.” Baekhyun whispered, desperately trying to reach Chanyeol’s ear. Chanyeol bit his bottom lip to hold back his laugh before turning back to the man with a mean glower.

“You tried to rape him, Daesan?” Chanyeol questioned, cocking his head to one side. The man visibly shuddered at the confrontation taking a cautious step back.

“B-boss he’s lying.” The man, Daesan, stuttered, looking anywhere but at Chanyeol.

“Say, Daesan, you do know what happens to people who touch what’s mine, right?” Chanyeol’s lips curled up into a spine chilling smile. Daesan’s head jolted up, panic running through his eyes and Baekhyun blushed at Chanyeol’s words.

“Yours, Boss?” He was shaking now, knees threatening to buckle.

“Chanyeol,” Baekhyun tugged at Chanyeol’s sleeve to have him bend down. “Don’t kill him.” He whispered, spitting a little in the process. Chanyeol scrunched his nose, holding himself back from smiling at the shorter male's innocence. 

“Get out of here, Daesan before I kill you.” The man didn’t need to be told twice. He bolted out the door, disappearing into the house.

Chanyeol then turned his glare towards a tipsy Baekhyun, failing to keep it up when Baekhyun gave him a lope sided grin, swaying from side to side. Chanyeol shook his head in disapproval, leading the boy over to a recliner and forcing him to sit.

“Listen here you brat, don’t let strangers touch you.” Chanyeol began, bending down to be at level with him. “Otherwise, I’ll peel the skin off from that part of your body.” Chanyeol smirked when Baekhyun’s eyes became as wide as saucers.

“Peel my skin?” He shrieked and Chanyeol nodded, feigning seriousness.

“And I’ll feed it to my pet vultures.” He continued.

“You have pet vultures?” Baekhyun gasped, scrambling to get away from the mad man.

“I also have a shark tank.” Chanyeol choked on his stifled laugh, continuing to lie.

“Sharks?” Baekhyun asked and Chanyeol answered in the affirmative.

“You’re scary, Chanyeollie.” Baekhyun blinked at the taller.

“What did you call me?” Chanyeol knitted his eyebrows at the absurd nickname, completely ignoring the insult.

“Chanyeollie. Isn’t it cute? I think it’s really cute.” Baekhyun’s face split into a grin as he craned his neck to look up at Chanyeol. The taller muttered something under his breath before walking away, disappearing behind the glass doors leading to the kitchen.

 

Baekhyun woke up the next morning with a throbbing head, wrapped up in the security of his blankets. The events of the night were a blur to him and it was a challenge walking down the stairs. He didn’t bother changing clothes, entering the dining room in his sleep ware, which was basically an over sized T-shirt and shorts that didn’t even reach the hem of his shirt.

Chanyeol stopped chewing as soon as Baekhyun entered the room, his breath halting in his throat. Baekhyun thighs were on display, full and milky. The shirt he was wearing was three sizes too big for him, slipping over his shoulder, exposing his fair shoulder and collar bone. He gulped down his eggs as the petite male dragged his feet over to him and slummed down in the chair next to him.

“My head hurts.” He whined, catching everyone’s attention.

“It’s called a hangover, brat.” Chanyeol found himself smiling and once again, Baekhyun turned out to be the reason why.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so it may be a double update sometimes, I was feeling productive today


	4. Save me from myself

Chapter IV

 

“…and if you need anything, Helen here will take care of it.” Luhan finished running Baekhyun past the instruction he needed to know in order to spend two days alone.

“I get it, Lu but can’t I come with you guys?” Baekhyun asked, helping Luhan lift his bag off the floor. The older boy shook his head but it was Kris who denied Baekhyun’s request.

“Sorry, Princess you can’t.” He clicked his tongue, winking at a pouting Baekhyun.

“Don’t call me that!” Baekhyun feigned offense, clutching his chest to exaggerate and Kris scoffed, followed by a smile, something Baekhyun had been sure he would never see.

“Chanyeol!” He jumped a little when the taller, raven haired boy entered the room, running over to him and stopping just inches away from him.

“Can’t I come? Please?” Baekhyun clasped his hands in front of his chest, grinning in hope of approval.

“No.” The latter calmly stated before handing his bag to Tao and shoving his hands inside the pockets of his trousers.

“Please…” Baekhyun begged, trying to break through Chanyeol’s rigidity, following him as he walked towards the door.

“I said no, brat.” He was still calm, breathing even but Chanyeol could feel his heart beat picking up its pace when Baekhyun peered up at him through his thick lashes, lip jutted out in an adorable pout.

“Come on Chanyeollie,” Chanyeol felt a flutter that died as soon as Baekhyun continued. “Even dad took me with him on business trips.” Chanyeol scoffed,

“Ah yes your dad, what a great man. Well, I’m not your dad, Baekhyun.” Chanyeol ignored the sting he felt when Baekhyun frowned.

“Please Chan ~~—~~ “Baekhyun was cut off when Sehun came in through the door to inform Chanyeol that the car was ready.

“No means no.” Chanyeol ruffled Baekhyun’s hair, surprised at his own action and began to walk towards the door.

“But Chan ~~—~~ “He was cut off again when Chanyeol abruptly turned on his heels.

“No buts! You do what I say. I tell you what to do and you do it without question, you should be thankful I haven’t thrown you in the ~~—~~ “It was Chanyeol’s turn to be cut off.

“Basement, I know. I get it, Chanyeol. I’m your property, your captive, I know…” Baekhyun averted his eyes to the floor, missing the flash of confusion and guilt that waved over Chanyeol’s face. “…no need to remind me of how worthless I am.” Baekhyun’s voice was merely above a whisper but he was audible, thanks to the deadly silence in the empty room.

“Have a safe flight.” He bid the giant farewell and before Chanyeol could say a word, he turned on his heels and ran up the stairs, slamming his door and throwing himself onto his bed.

 

Baekhyun didn’t know why he was crying. He spent the entire afternoon, lying on his stomach and spilling out tears of; anger, betrayal, pain, he didn’t know anymore. All Baekhyun knew was that; he was torn. He didn’t want to go back home, afraid of facing his father, afraid of confrontation and afraid of finding out that he wasn’t needed anymore, he also didn’t want to live like this, locked up and isolated, without anywhere to go or anyone to talk to.

 He couldn’t run away, he didn’t know the first thing about the world, let alone having to live out there alone. In the end, Baekhyun cried out of frustration, pent up frustration that came out in weak, labored sobs.

 

From the moment Chanyeol left the house his mind was occupied by the image of brown, chocolatey eyes; their hint of hazel hidden behind pained tears. The plane had taken off a while ago and even though people around him were beginning to settle down, Chanyeol remained on edge. Even if he sat back, he couldn’t relax. Junmyeon sat beside him, head buried into a book and Chanyeol mentally thanked the boy for being there, in case he needed to talk.

His mind kept drifting to a time he didn’t want to remember, a time he regretted with each passing moment, a time that haunted him to the point where he couldn’t sleep at night, only managing to fall asleep when the sun showed its face. Deciding that it would be better to get some sleep, Chanyeol closed his eyes, ignoring the rapid beating of his heart. He lay his head back on the seat and soon enough, slumber came and along with it came the nightmares.

 

“Well, Mr. Byun I keep myself updated on the happenings of my biggest clients and I must say, I’m not convinced my money will be safe with you.” Chanyeol threw his hands behind his head, leaning back on the sofa.

“Mr. Park I…” The old man drifted off, rubbing his stubbly chin to think of something. Sehun bent down to whisper something in Chanyeol’s ear and Chanyeol perked up, leaning forward to square his eyes onto the older man.

“Say, Mr. Byun…” Chanyeol clasped his hands together and the business man saw a glint in his eyes. “What would you say is your most precious asset?” The young Mafia leader smirked when the old man panicked, amused by the way his pupils shook.

“My...” Mr. Byun stopped to think.

_Your car, your house, your business, I could really use a boat… come on old man, spill it._ Chanyeol inched forward, anticipating his reply.

“My son.” He said, catching Chanyeol off guard.

“Your son?” He asked, mouth hanging open in disbelief.

“Yes, my son. He is my biggest asset.” The old man inched forward until he was sitting at the very edge of his seat.

_Interesting,_ Chanyeol thought, throwing a look to Sehun over his shoulder.

_Okay, old man I’ll give you another chance._ Chanyeol met his eyes again before speaking,

“Are you sure you’re willing to trade your biggest asset for money?” Chanyeol asked, hoping he would change his mind.

“As I mentioned before, Mr. Park: I’m desperate.” The man said, not a hint of doubt in his voice.

“Yes, I see…” Chanyeol threw a disgusted smirk towards him, “Desperate and pathetic.” He spat before turning to face Sehun.

“Get Suho, tell him to bring the cheque book.” The younger boy left the room and returned minutes later, accountant in tow.

No other words were exchanged, a contract was drawn up, signed by both parties. Suho continued to watch Chanyeol keenly, watching the way his face contorted into a frown. Soon afterwards, the businessman bid them farewell, hurrying out of the mansion with a fat cheque between his fingers and a shit eating grin on his face.

“Hyung.” Chanyeol said, stopping Suho in his attempts to clear the coffee table. When the older boy nodded, Chanyeol continued, “Did you see how easy it was for him? To sell his son over?” Chanyeol asked, a sad chuckled escaping his dry lips.

“Chanyeol…” Suho began but cut himself off, not knowing what to say.

“You think it was easy for him as well?” Chanyeol turned to the older boy, eyes far away. “You think it was that easy for him when he sold me off too?”

Suho was there again, rubbing his back to ease him. Chanyeol woke up with a jolt, breaking out into cold sweats. His face was pale and even though the air conditioning was working, he could feel himself suffocating.

“It was just a dream, Chanyeol.” Suho whispered, rubbing circles on his back to soothe him.

“Just a dream.” Chanyeol repeated, breathing the words out in between pants. He nodded his head before closing his eyes. Sleep never came back and Chanyeol liked it that way, it was his own way of punishing himself.

 

Far away from home, that was what kept him sane. At that moment he wasn’t Chanyeol, he was Park Chanyeol, the big bad Mafia boss, feared yet highly respected, young yet experienced, baby faced yet capable enough to chew you up and spit you out. It comforted him, being able to get what he wanted without raising his voice. It was a security blanket for him, the scowl he was sporting and the way his shoulders broadened when walking, Park Chanyeol, although at the early years of his youth, was anything but easy to handle.

The job was easy and quick; have his most trusted men meet his new aliases, sign a few papers and shake on it. The deal was done and shipments were handed over. Lay and Tao took it over from there, flying to China to personally supervise the transactions while the rest of the gang returned home, earlier than planned.

 

The first thing they heard, as soon as they entered the house, was silence; suspicious and deafening. Before anyone could question where young master Byun was, the sound of glass breaking resonated through the house followed by a shrill feminine scream. The boys shared a brief look before dashing towards the sound.

“Sir, are you okay? Please let me see.” Helen pleaded, trying to grab Baekhyun’s hand, blood oozing out and dripping down to stain the pearl marbled floor.

“Don’t touch me! I’m fine!” Baekhyun moved his hand away, drops of blood flying in every direction. It hurt but he refused to admit it. Just as Helen moved forward again, Baekhyun dodged her and the girl froze in her spot, eyes shifting from his hand to behind him.

“I said don’t touch me.” He repeated, lips turned down and eyes barely remaining open. Baekhyun felt a familiar calloused hand grab hold of his blood stained wrist, he was spun around, coming face to face with a pale, unamused Chanyeol.

“What happened?” He roared, making Helen jump. Baekhyun refused to answer but Chanyeol hadn’t asked him in the first place. His glare was directed toward the green eyed girl who was now focusing all her energy to keep standing.

“I- sir he- he wouldn’t listen to me.” She stuttered out, trying to reason with the fuming giant, her palms facing out in an attempt to prove her innocence.

“She didn’t do anything!” Baekhyun jumped in to defend her only to be shoved to the side, his wrist still in Chanyeol’s hold.

“I didn’t ask you.” He whispered, eyes still focused on Helen.

“Sir please try to understand. It was an accident. I’m so sorry.” Helen was holding back her tears, afraid of the wrath that was sure to come her way.

“Stop apologizing! You didn’t do anything!” Baekhyun spoke up again, ignoring the way Chanyeol had tightened his grip. Baekhyun winced because of the pain travelling up his arm but was quick to catch himself, speaking even though he was told not to.

“Hyung,” He looked back, alternating between Luhan and Suho. “She did nothing, let her go home.” Baekhyun pleaded and Luhan motioned for Helen to leave. The girl bowed before hurrying out of the kitchen.

Baekhyun could feel Chanyeol’s anger growing, now directed completely towards him. In all honesty, Baekhyun wished Chanyeol would hit him so that he could have a solid reason to hate the man. Baekhyun wanted to be sent hurling into reality and for that he stared right back into Chanyeol’s eyes, pain long forgotten, challenging the younger boy to raise his hand on him.

“Do it.” He beckoned. “Hit me. I know you’re itching to do it. In fact lock me up in the basement and let me starve to death!” Baekhyun’s voice rose with each threat he spat, watching as the darkness spread through Chanyeol’s already dark eyes.

Eight anxious pairs of eyes were watching the exchange, praying to whoever would listen that Chanyeol would storm out, forget everything and leave so that Baekhyun’s wound could be treated. Their prayers only bounced off the walls, running down the drain when Chanyeol roughly tugged at Baekhyun’s hand, pulling him close so that his nose was bumping into his chest. Chanyeol then leaned forward, millimeters away from the shorter boy’s face.

“If you ever try to raise your voice at me, I’ll slit your stomach and let your guts spill out.” Chanyeol warned, voice low and threatening. Baekhyun didn’t even flinch when he replied,

“I dare you.” He minced the words through gritted teeth. Chanyeol was at a loss for words, he stood dumbfounded, staring back into Baekhyun’s unwavering eyes.

“What did you say?” He asked, trying to sound deadly and failing when it came out as a breathless whisper.

“I said I dare you.” Baekhyun repeated, staring back with as much intensity as Chanyeol was just moments ago.

“Okay! Enough, break it up you two.” Suho decided to break them apart, examining Baekhyun’s hand as the younger boy continued to stare at Chanyeol, who was trying to find interest in anything else other than the short male.

“It’s pretty deep.” Suho told Luhan who nodded and ordered Sehun to grab the first aid kit.

 

Baekhyun didn’t say another word, not even a greeting for the elders, he sat with his arm stretched out while Minseok carefully wrapped his fingers into white gauze, rambling on about how if Lay had been here, Baekhyun would’ve been treated better. Baekhyun had concluded it was a nervous tick for the elder, ranting on about anything to ease his own anxiousness. The giant had left the room as soon as the first aid kit had arrived and Baekhyun was grateful for his absence, feeling his heart rate normalizing.

“You know, Baek.” Junmyeon spoke, catching his attention. “You should really give him a chance.” Minseok stopped talking, turning his eyes to the accountant.

“Chanyeol, I mean. He has his reasons for the way he acts, you know.” Suho placed the cup, he was sipping from, down and clasped his hands together. “I understand that you’re upset; being away from your family and all and I know Chanyeol hasn’t exactly been good to you but trust me, he wasn’t always like this.” The boy explained, eyes glassing over with memories.

Baekhyun said nothing, bowed, thanking Minseok for the bandage and stood to leave.

“Think about what I said, Baekhyun.” Suho called out and without bearing him a glance, Baekhyun left the room, once again going up to his bedroom and locking himself in.

 

Luhan panicked when Baekhyun didn’t show up for breakfast the next morning. He asked Sehun to go check up on him and after a few minutes, the younger returned alone.

“He won’t open the door.” He shrugged, trying to act indifferent but worried nonetheless.

Chanyeol rose from his seat before anyone could react, ignoring the questioning glances shot his way and walked out of the room, mumbling something about having to do everything himself.

 

“Baekhyun.” Chanyeol called from behind the thick mahogany door, lightly tapping on the wood to make a sound. “Open the door.” He tried to keep his voice neutral, not to show his concern.

“Go away!” Came a muffled response. Chanyeol felt a tug at his heart and he gulped down the ball in his throat before trying again, this time softer.

“Baekhyun _please_ open the door and come eat.” He strained the word please, disgusted with himself for having to use it. Shuffling was heard from inside the room before a click and the door was timidly pulled open.

“Why do you care if I eat or not?” Baekhyun only peaked his head out, voice raspy from sleep. Chanyeol found himself swooning at the cute gesture but caught himself in due time.

“I don’t.” He retorted, “But Luhan hyung is pacing, I hate it when he paces.” Chanyeol lied, trying to hide his smile when Baekhyun pouted.

“Fine. But I’m not talking to you.” With that, the shorter boy slammed the door in Chanyeol’s face.

 

A few minutes after Chanyeol returned, Baekhyun stepped into the room, his bandaged hand hidden behind his back. He quietly asked Sehun to switch places with him. Sehun turned his gaze towards his boss who was already glaring at him. In the end, Baekhyun had to give up and sit next to Chanyeol, leaning towards Sehun to avoid the giant as much as possible.

“Can you stop ignoring me?” Chanyeol sighed, halfway through the breakfast.

“No.” Baekhyun gave him a small sarcastic smile before stuffing the last bit of his toast in his mouth. Before he could leave, Chanyeol grabbed ahold of his bandaged arm.

“Does it hurt?” He asked, failing to hide the concern in his voice.

“No.” Baekhyun said. He once again tried to pry his arm away only to be pulled back towards the seated boy.

“I know you hate me, Baekhyun but trust me I’m not the one you should be hating.” Chanyeol slowly stood, towering over the tiny brunette.

“Oh yeah? Who should I hate then? Luhan hyung, who has been nothing but kind to me or Suho hyung, who has been trying to convince me that you’re not as big of an asshole as you seem to be or ~~—~~ “Baekhyun was cut off when Chanyeol pushed him gently to take a seat, sitting down himself and turning his seat to face the shorter boy.

“Look, Baekhyun.” The room suddenly became warmer, air thick with tension. “I didn’t ask for this, as much as you want to believe that I have some ulterior motive for having you here, I don’t and I don’t even know why I’m explaining myself to you but I am for some reason because I fear that if I don’t I might go crazy. It keeps me up at night. You have no idea what I’m going through.” Chanyeol ranted on, ignoring the way Baekhyun’s mouth dropped open.

“Just because I don’t whine about it doesn’t mean I don’t care, Baekhyun. I care as much as any of these people. You’re my responsibility I brought you here and so I have to take care of you now. I have provided you with everything you need to make you feel comfortable, to make you feel at home and all I’ve gotten in return is a cold shoulder from you.” Baekhyun refused to hear anymore.

“A cold shoulder from me? Chanyeol all I’ve been trying to do is get you to open up and every time I try all I get from you is the same old I own you speech. I get it already, you own me! I was a burden on my father and now I’m a burden on you! I get it! I fucking get it can we stop making me feel useless now? I already do that all on my own I don’t need ~~—~~ “

“You’re not a burden on me!”Chanyeol growled, cutting Baekhyun off. He abruptly stood up, tugging Baekhyun along and pulling him closer, close enough that he could smell the faint strawberry scented shampoo the shorter boy had used. “I never called you a burden, Baekhyun stop making things up in that thick little head of yours. You want to know the truth? I’ll tell you the truth.”

“Chanyeol stop, you’re hurting me.” Baekhyun cried out, wincing when Chanyeol backed him into the wall, trapping him between the cold surface and his own warm body.

“If anything, I saved you.” He whispered, voice laced with disgust. “I saved you from that greedy bastard you dare call your father, if it hadn’t been me he would’ve sold you over to anyone willing to pay him. That asshole would’ve sent you away to be killed, he wouldn’t care because his company would be safe! I fucking saved you from becoming me! That’s what I did Byun Baekhyun!” Chanyeol let go of him, stumbling back as he spat out the last words,

“I saved you from becoming like me, God damn it…” For the third time that month, tears began roll down Chanyeol’s cheeks. His eyes were turned down to the ground but before he could leave the room, thin warm arms encircled around his waist, pulling him closer until his head was resting on a bony shoulder. Chanyeol’s shoulders shook with the intensity of his wails as Minseok soothed him with tender rubs along the length of his back.

Baekhyun stood, back still pressed against the wall, watching as Chanyeol came undone in Minseok’s embrace. He would never have believed it if he didn’t see it with his own two eyes, Park Chanyeol was crying.


	5. Caged Birds Seldom Sing

Chapter V

 

 

The room was dark, not even a single ray of moonlight dared to escape through the blind. A large lump, covered with two layers of blankets lay in the middle of the large king sized bed, an occasional snore sounding from under the rubble. The door was pushed open, caught when it was about to open completely and held in place. A brown mop of hair poked in, taking time to adjust to the darkness before wandering around the somewhat familiar room. Chocolaty eyes landed on a moving hump, lump forming in his throat, second guessing the plan in his head.

The moon was high in the sky when Baekhyun decided to check up on the giant. He nudged the door open, enough for him to slide in and then softly closed it shut behind him, a faint click sounding in the otherwise silent room. Had Baekhyun been paying attention to anything, other than his heart drumming against is chest, he would have noticed how the snoring had subsided, replaced by an airy silence that was beginning to creep him out.

Baekhyun crept along the walls, minding the furniture he felt bump against him and slowly made his way over the center of the room where Chanyeol was, sleeping on his bed. Baekhyun had no clue as to what the next step was and just as he was planning on how to approach him, the blankets were thrown to the side and Chanyeol jolted out of the bed, revolver in one hand, using the other to turn on the night lamp.

“Woah! Woah! Calm down!” Baekhyun whisper shouted, holding his arms out to defend himself against the crazed man.

“What are you doing here?” Chanyeol mimicked him, whispering yet shouting at the same time. He placed his gun back on the night stand before turning a questioning glare towards Baekhyun making the boy shrink in his place.

“I just… I wanted to check up on you.” Baekhyun scratched his nape, colour creeping up his neck to paint the skin in a sheer red.

“After the entire day passed?” Chanyeol asked. His pupils were dilated, eyes as wide as his mouth, staring the older boy down. Chanyeol felt a familiar bubble in his stomach, feeling queasy again as warmth began to spread throughout his body.

None of them said a word for what seemed like hours. In the distance a cricket could be heard, creaking and indicating the deafening silence that surrounded them. Baekhyun raised his head to meet Chanyeol’s eye.

“I’m sorry.” He said, afraid that Chanyeol hadn’t heard him but when the taller boy stiffened, visibly under the dim light from the lamp, Baekhyun’s conscious began knocking again.

“Why are you apologizing?” Chanyeol asked, face softening and voice just above a whisper, afraid of anyone other than Baekhyun hearing him.

“I don’t know. I just am.” Baekhyun didn’t realize his legs had been moving, not until he was only a few inches away from the towering figure.

“I should be the one apologizing, Baekhyun. I know I hurt you.” Chanyeol said, confused at why these words were leaving his lips, confused as to why his brain was forming words of apology and compassion. Chanyeol sat back on his bed, slightly aware of the growing proximity.

“You know…” Baekhyun began, taking the empty spot beside Chanyeol, unintentionally leaning in closer, alerting the latter.

“I never thought my father would throw me away like that.” Chanyeol could hear an all too familiar emotion in Baekhyun’s dejected voice, “He was the perfect dad. One time,” Baekhyun stopped to laugh at the memory, a bitter chuckle escaping his pouty lips. “One time he came to one of my recitals and he clapped for me so hard, his carper tunnel began to act up again.” Baekhyun laughed again, followed by a sniff.

Chanyeol turned his face to peer down at the smaller boy beside him and as expected, tiny beads of tears were glistening at the corners of his eyes. Baekhyun continued, voice heavy with pent up emotions.

“I was always the weird kid, you know? I was never liked at school so he had me home schooled, just so I would feel safe. And on my birthdays he would take me out to my favourite restaurant and let me eat all the deserts I wanted to.” Baekhyun sniffed again and Chanyeol felt a sting in his heart. He reached out, attempting to wipe away the wetness from his face but stopped himself, holding his hand back and settling it in his lap.

“I never thought that man, the man who always wanted me to be safe would just give me away, you know? He was my best friend, Chanyeol. The one person who knew all my secrets, my embarrassing stories, my--” A sob escaped Baekhyun’s lips, cutting him off and he hid his face in his hands, embarrassed for letting Chanyeol see him cry.

“I never ever thought he would give me away.” Baekhyun mumbled, talking from behind his palms. He felt a warm arm circle around his waist, pulling him into a warmer, firmer side. Baekhyun peered up to find Chanyeol looking down at him, a faint hint of a smile playing on his lips.

“It’s okay, Baekhyun. I know it sounds sadistic, but I’m glad he came to me. In the end, I’m glad you came to me not to any of those other low life loan sharks.” Chanyeol subconsciously rubbed Baekhyun’s side, soothing him from the hiccups that were interrupting his speech.

“Why?” Baekhyun tilted his head back to get a clearer look at Chanyeol, a wave of emotions passing over his usually stoic face, rendering him immobile for a moment.

 

It was dark when the young twelve year old opened his eyes. He could feel himself moving and the occasional light that filtered through before zooming away indicated that he was in a car. Rubbing his eyes and moving his raven hair away from his eyes, the boy peeked up to find his father beside him, hands on the steering wheel and eyes fixed on the road.

“Dad?” He croaked out only to have a pair of panicked eyes glance at him.

“Go back to sleep, Chanyeol.” The man ordered, voice strict and leaving no room for argument.

“Where are we going?” Chanyeol asked, sitting up and cracking his neck. The colour of the sky told him it was way past his bed time and Chanyeol rubbed his head in confusion.

“We’re going on a trip.” Simple and short.

“Where’s mom?” Chanyeol inquired, looking back only to find the rear seat empty.

“Stop asking questions and go to sleep. I’ll wake you up when we get there.” His father’s voice was quivering so Chanyeol decided to comply. He loved his father and he trusted the man the most.

Throughout his life, the one person that was always there for him was his dad. At every football game, he would cheer louder than any other parent and at every PTA meeting, he would be attentive and ask questions about Chanyeol. Chanyeol wouldn’t want it any other way, he wouldn’t want any other dad.

Or so the poor boy thought. When sunlight finally began to warm his chilled cheeks, Chanyeol woke up in an unfamiliar bed, it was on the floor and merely a thin mattress. Straining his eyes, Chanyeol noticed that he was backed up in a corner, the floor in front of him littered with more boys, more or less the same age as him.

The sound of water falling, drop by drop, was the only sound Chanyeol heard for hours, apart from his own raged breathing. The boy was scared, pulling his lanky knees up to hug to his chest. The room was small with a small window on the west wall, there was an owl eyed boy sitting next to him now, silent and eyes wide open. Chanyeol didn’t say a word either, waiting for his dad to come get him, wondering and anticipating his arrival.

Dad never came, not after a week when Chanyeol was lying on his stomach, back wounded and littered with swollen patches where the whip had hit him. He didn’t come when Minseok sung him to sleep. Dad didn’t come when the owl eyed boy, Kyungsoo taught Chanyeol how to use a gun. Dad never came and Chanyeol never stopped waiting.

They rarely knew what time of the day it was due to lack of exposure to the real world. Chanyeol had seen the calendar on the kitchen wall while he was scrubbing the floor only to discover that it was his birthday which meant it had been three months since he had been here. Kyungsoo snuck a cupcake into their room that night after lights out and little old Yixing had made Chanyeol a newspaper hat. His new friends sang him the birthday song in strained hushed voices and when he began to tear up, they hugged him tight, surrounding him until he fell asleep.

Chanyeol was still waiting for his dad to come and save him the day he was called to attend his first ever Mafia meeting. He remembered shivering under his thick coat when one of the men pulled a gun at the leader. All six feet, five inches of his body feeling numb when the blood splattered over his chin. Chanyeol remembered Kyungsoo’s faint screams, calling out to him to run. It was over within seconds, the mob of men turned on the assaulter, grabbing him and using his own weapon against him.

It took months for things to go back to normal but something was definitely different. Chanyeol didn’t understand why his name was in the will of the former leader. He didn’t understand why the members were calling him boss and asking for his advice. All he understood was that he would never let anyone else become the next Park Chanyeol.  
Over the course of the years, things changed drastically, for the better. Chanyeol created department heads, appointing his most trusted men, his best friends, in charge. With his head held high, Chanyeol walked with pride among his aliases, conscience slightly at ease with all the changes he had made.

“Chanyeol?” Baekhyun’s voice came out low and cautious. By the time Chanyeol had finished telling Baekhyun about his past, the smaller boy was sprawled out on top of him with Chanyeol’s arm draped over him protectively.

Chanyeol’s chest was rising and falling with even rhythms. Baekhyun rose his head, a soft smile playing on his lips when he realized Chanyeol had fallen asleep. He subconsciously moved his fingers along the taller boy’s chest, reaching to touch his cheek before quickly curling his fingers away. His position dawned on him and heat began to creep up to Baekhyun’s face. His legs were trapped between Chanyeol’s toned ones, waist trapped under his muscled arm. Baekhyun’s chin was resting on top of Chanyeol’s broad, firm chest and his hands were pressed against his toned abs.

Baekhyun had half a mind to shake the latter awake and slip out of the room and half a mind to lay his head down so that he could hear Chanyeol’s heartbeat, resting his eyes and letting the thumping lull him to sleep. In the end, slumber was stronger than his will to get up and Baekhyun found himself slowly letting his eyelids fall, letting the musk of Chanyeol’s cologne and the fresh scent of his shampoo surround him.

Baekhyun woke up to an empty bed, surrounded by fluffy pillows and warm, thick blankets. He sat up, tracing his hands down his face to wake himself up, the events of last night coming back to him with every yawn that escaped his lips. The sound of water falling shook Baekhyun out of his daze as his eyes began to search for the source of the noise. The sound stopped, followed by rustling and a few wet steps before the bathroom door pulled open. Steam poured out of the opening and a wet, half naked Chanyeol followed, stepping out with the fog surrounding him creating a mysterious aura around the raven haired boy.

Baekhyun gulped, mouth salivating against his better judgment as Chanyeol walked towards the closet door. If the latter had seen him staring at him, he was purposefully ignoring him while he slowly made his way to the double doors, painfully slow and lingering. A smirk played on Chanyeol’s lips as he pulled the doors open, making sure to show off the flex in his upper arms, enjoying the way Baekhyun’s eyes followed every one of his movements.

Baekhyun yelped when his eyes moved downwards where a towel hung, sinfully right below Chanyeol’s waist, showing off the cut above his groin. He threw the blankets over himself and fell back, covering his face to hide the blush he was sure was colouring his face. Baekhyun could hear Chanyeol chuckle while he dressed himself.  
In his attempts to hide his face, Baekhyun failed to notice how the room suddenly went silent. He began to pry the covers away, poking his head out to find the large eared giant that was right in front of him a minute ago. Baekhyun nearly jumped out of his skin when he came face to face with a smug Chanyeol, sitting right by his side, facing him. Tiny water droplets were falling from the bangs that were sticking to his forehead and Baekhyun felt his heart attempting to leap out of his chest.

“Good morning.” Chanyeol smirked, the scent of fresh mint filling the air surrounding them.

“Morning.” Baekhyun breathed out, trying to inch away from him.

“Sleep well?” Chanyeol asked, leaning closer, ruining Baekhyun’s plans to move away from him. The smaller squeaked when Chanyeol reached out and wrapped his arm around his waist, pulling him close until his nose was pressed against Chanyeol’s shoulder.

“Yes.” Baekhyun finally answered, realizing that Chanyeol had asked him a question.

“I haven’t slept that well in months.” Chanyeol whispered against his hair, sniffing it subtly, smiling when the strawberries and honey wafted through his senses.

Chanyeol was never one to give into instinct without having proof but at that very moment his instincts were telling him to keep a certain brunet close to him, protect him and nurture him and Chanyeol found himself caving, melting into putty right in front Baekhyun and pouring himself out into the boy’s delicate, slim fingers.

“Do you like amusement parks?” Chanyeol asked, startling the tiny body pressed against his chest.

“I’ve never been to one.” Baekhyun mumbled against his clothed chest. Chanyeol pulled back to examine is face, confused, round eyes tracing over his features to find a hint whether the boy was lying or not.

“Seriously?” He asked when he failed to find a fib. Baekhyun nodded, his hair bouncing up and down along with the action. Chanyeol felt his heart break a little when he did so, wondering what other things Baekhyun had been deprived of his entire life of living like a prince.

“You’re making me sad, Byun.” He clutched his heart dramatically resulting in a giggle from the brunet. He found himself laughing along the contagious sound, Chanyeol wondered if he could spend the rest of his life listening to Baekhyun’s laugh on a continuous loop.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked it!! I will try my hardest to keep posting. Anticipate it!


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